Canobie Coaster

Great trip report! Phantom's Revenge is one of my favorite coasters thanks to that intensity that you mentioned. While it may be short, it is simply relentless.

My pleasure! Being on the school newspaper has some benefits with one being learning how to take photos.

While I've never been on Top Thrill Dragster, I have been on Xcelerator and Kingda Ka. I love the freeness of the lap bars, but the shoulder restraints aren't particularly obstructive considering that you aren't at the top of the tower too long anyway. I just wish the back seats didn't shake as much during the launch and at the bottom of the hill.

Thanks! Yeah I love it out here. It's so much different than the East Coast and all of these amusement parks are certainly an added bonus. I'm looking forward to Discovery Kingdom, Great America, and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk as well.

I also made sure to visit Six Flags Magic Mountain, the self proclaimed "thrill capital of the world." I really enjoyed the park. While it lacked much outside of roller coasters, the roller coasters were excellent and very varied. X2 immediately became on of my favorite coasters anywhere thanks to its sheer intensity. I also really enjoyed Tatsu, Full Throttle, Goliath, Apocalypse, and Lex Luthor. Of the Six Flags parks I have visited, this one was my favorite. The atmosphere of the park was great and the crowds were pretty minimal. My lone complaints were the one train operations on Full Throttle and Riddler's Revenge and all of the technical issues that the park was having with Batman (I ended up missing that one since it got stuck on the lift and broke down another time when I was in line). Not only did I have a great day, but I got a good workout as well. Onto the pictures. Wally World! I didn't see Marty Moose, but at least it was open. YOLO! It's really hard to explain what happens during this drop. After getting copious floater air going over the crest of the hill, you are shot out of your seat even further during the descent. No bomber in sight. George Segal must be happy. So Six Flags has V2 and X2. Is Y2 next? Indiana Jones would be scared of this coaster. One loop, two loop, one corkscrew, two corkscrew. That doesn't sound right. It also has three vertical loops so it's inaccurate too. Superman: Ultimate Flight was the bunny slope and Tatsu was the black diamond slope. The only pretzel better than Wetzel's. Ninja must have used its blackbelt to defeat most of the suspended coasters around the world. I really wish there were more suspended coasters around. Take the tunnel! The ride was relentless from start to finish and had a great mix of laterals, changes in direction, and air-time. Riddle me this, riddle me that. What ride is green and sucks? This one. I'm just not a fan of the B&M stand-ups. I honestly find the Togo ones smoother and more enjoyable. Much better than the movie! While often maligned, I found this to be one heck of an intense little coaster. "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit." Doc Brown was right. This thing made me see some serious doodoo in my pants. What a rush! Goliath looks like David next to Lex Luthor and Superman.

Along with Disneyland, I also had two other parks on my agenda: Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Knott's Bery Farm was my fourth Cedar Fair park (Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, and Canada's Wonderland being my first three) and I enjoyed my visit. Most rides were 10-20 minute waits and I really liked what the park had to offer. There was some great theming in Camp Snoopy and the Ghost Town areas of the park and the park had a great collection of rides. Xcelerator's launch was unbelievable and it made my top 10 list. The log ride was amazing and my favorite non-Disney or Universal flume. Plus the park had a really solid flat ride lineup anchored by Supreme Scream. Also, don't forget to visit Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. I loved it! The chicken was delicious and the biscuits were addictive. Onto the pictures! Well someone had to be first. This was the surprise hit of my visit. Despite its small size, the coaster was a rush from start to finish and quite disorienting. I was going to wait for a train, but I didn't so the sign is all you get. The Revolution! Who needs Google Translate? I like them big and long. Supreme Scream was satisfying. This coaster was an amazing rush. When anyone else hears the world tophat, do they think of Sir Topham Hatt from Thomas the Tank Engine or is that just me? Look at those curves. Ouch. That is all. Man, this section of the park felt like an oven. I was blown away by this flume. The theming was almost on par with Disney and the drops were excellent as well. So a lot of people said that this ride was pointless. I disagree, it kept younger kids away from the better attractions. I think this kid knew I was snapping photos. I hope he doesn't think I'm a creep. So many rides in California have scream in their name. Where's the train? Oh...so that's why they're only running one train. GhostRider was down for rehab. I missed it by 3 days. At least I have the Nicholas Cage movie to console me. Who am I kidding, that movie sucked. And the sequel made Batman and Robin look like Ben Hur.

I preferred Disneyland since all of the attractions were confined to two close by parks. Having said that, I would still prefer the larger pathways of Disney World. It also helps the different lands feel more separated.

What is a visit to Disneyland without a visit to Disney California Adventure? Since the park opened in 2001, California Adventure has seen many changes to help boost attendance. While I still preferred Disneyland to California Adventure, the park was fantastic and definitely had more thrill rides. I forget where I am. Radiator Springs Racers was breathtaking! The theming was incredibly immersive and crowds ate this ride up. Lines approached 2 hours throughout the day. Cars Land finished the major overhaul to California Adventure. While not as fast as Test Track, the ride was better. The show scenes were significantly better and the layout was more varied. Steering by shifting my weight was cool, but the ride's capacity certainly wasn't. This was a very cool and unique spinning ride, though hearing Larry the Cable guy signing is going to haunt me. While not as good as Florida's version, this is still better than basically every other drop tower on the planet. I preferred this to the version at EPCOT for some reason even though I think they are identical. Also I couldn't keep a straight face watching the preshow for whatever reason. Looks open. I would like to nominate myself. Paradise Pier! Get ready to scream! I loved this coaster. The combination of the launch, drops, inversion, turns, and music made this one of the most diverse coasters I have ever been on. So long and satisfying. That's what she said. I love this ride! But my elbow doesn't. World of Color was amazing! It was like a double rainbow but better. I didn't know the mouse was a pyro. And I'll end with a night shot of Paradise Pier.

Glad to see the park added something near the Comet since it always seemed weird how the ride was separated from the rest of the park by the water park.

I agree 100% with both of these. Three types of rides that scare me: S&S Screamin' Swings- The open design is a tad unnerving (in a good way) during the swings that exceed 90 degrees. Freefall Towers- Most recently, Lex Luthor gave me quite the thrill. Drop Pod Water Slides

I was there this past Thursday and had a great time. It was my first time at the park and I really wish I can go back again someday. I will post a photo TR later this week, but until then, I have some notes on my visit. X2 is now one of my favorite coasters anywhere. I wanted to get a ride early in the day, and I ended up waiting about 45 minutes. I returned a half hour before closing and was able to get three straight rides. The rotating seats was extremely disorienting and I didn't find the ride overly bumpy. Full Throttle was excellent. While the one train line made the wait almost an hour, the ride delivered by combining great air-time and powerful launches. Tatsu really showed what a B&M flyer can do. I love the Superman clones, so I was excited for Tatsu and it didn't let me down. The ride is extremely forceful and feels much higher than it actually is thanks to its location on the mountain. Riddler's Revenge was a disappointment. They were only running one train and when combined with painstaking slow loading, the line was easily an hour. The ride itself was awful. I didn't enjoy the other two B&M stand-ups I've been on (Apocalypse and Green Lantern) and was hoping this one would be different. There was a ton of headbanging throughout the course and I found the ride too uncomfortable to be enjoyable. Lex Luthor was amazing. I haven't been that scared for a ride in quite some time. The drop is very suspenseful and it delivers. There is some decent floater air at the start of the descent and then the remainder of the plunge is a major rush. Goliath and Apocalypse were two very fun coasters. I ran into a TPR member on Goliath. Both coasters were relentless from start to finish and very underrated in my opinion. My lone complaint with the park were the number of breakdowns. I got on every major coaster except Batman, as Batman kept breaking down. The first time I tried to ride, the train got stuck on the lift hill. When I returned later in the day, the ride broke down while I was in line. Lex Luthor and Riddler's Revenge were also closed at points during my visit.

I got a summer internship near San Francisco, so I will have an opportunity to visit several of California's best parks this summer. I had previously never left the Eastern time zone, so this was an entirely new experience for me. Disneyland - Page 1 Disney's California Adventure - Page 1 Knott's Berry Farm - Page 1 Six Flags Magic Mountain - Page 1 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - Page 2 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Page 2 California's Great America - Page 3 Alameda County Fair - Page 3 Waterworld California - Page 4 SeaWorld San Diego - Page 4 Belmont Park - Page 4 Since my internship didn't start until the day after Memorial Day, I decided to kick summer off with a tour of the southern California parks. My trip included Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. I'm going to begin with Disneyland. The Happiest Place of Earth definitely lived up to its billing and it turned out to be one of my favorite parks anywhere. The wonderful theming of the attractions combined with the difficult to describe Disney magic made my time at Disneyland memorable. The park had some amazing rides such as Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain and all of the employees were extremely friendly. My lone criticism was how narrow and congested the pathways were, but I realize that the park doesn't really have the option to expand them. I was at Disneyland for two full days (a Wednesday and a Friday during their 24 hour celebration) and crowds were large, but manageable. This is one of the most iconic theme park entrances anywhere. The Indiana Jones Adventure turned out to be my favorite ride at the entire resort. I had high expectations since Raiders of the Lost Ark is my favorite movie and it didn't let me down. Indiana Jones used the same ride system as Dinosaur, but the ride seemed far smoother while still being wild and exciting. I especially loved the finale! I preferred the Orlando version due to the superior story, but this one was still one of the best flumes anywhere. Many coasters can trace their lineage to the Matterhorn. While old, the coaster was fast and quite wild. I preferred the Tomorrowland side since that one was faster and had a few more drops. I really wish I could have experienced Autopia before the guide rails were added since the layout was extremely long. The Mad Tea Party's cups were harder to spin than its Florida counterpart, but the ride was still fairly dizzying. Florida's Mr. Toad was one of my favorite rides when I was younger. I was eager to get behind the wheel of this one and it didn't let me down. The ride is far more intense than the typical dark ride thanks to the speedier turns and darker scenes. The Haunted Mansion is one of the best dark rides around. While it isn't scary, it is an extremely immersive and enjoyable experience. Walt appears taller than the castle... Big Thunder is the best mine train coaster I've been on. It has great turns and the finale is breathtaking. Best Disney characters ever. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one of my favorite movies, so I really enjoyed Toontown. Basically everyone thought Gadget's Go Coaster was themed to Inspector Gadget. How can people not know about Gadget from Chip "n" Dale's Rescue Rangers? And the dark ride was very well done. The scenes were fantastic and being able to spin the cars was a nice feature. I just wish Judge Doom was present in the attraction. In a moment of weakness, I decided to ride this. I really enjoyed all of the Marvel exhibits inside Innoventions. Space Mountain was the busiest of all of Disneyland's attractions and for good reason. I preferred this version of Buzz to the Florida one since the guns weren't mounted directly to the cars. The new and improved Star Tours was way better than the former version that I experienced in Florida. The different story lines really increased the rerideability. I enjoyed this version of Space Mountain more than Florida's. It felt faster and the soundtrack was outstanding.

So I am going to be in LA on Thursday and will be able to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Do you think a Flash Pass will be necessary or will lines be short enough so that I can get on everything? I plan on running to Full Throttle and X2 first.

I'm really looking forward to this coaster. Story Land has some great theming and the park, while geared for kids, has such a great atmosphere. This coaster should give the park the major attraction it needs. It's the perfect height to be kid-friendly, but if it's like Wooden Warrior, this coaster will have some serious air-time and will be one of my favorite coasters.

2005 Hydra the Revenge 2006 Backlot Stunt Coaster (Kings Dominion) 2012 Skyrush Verbolten

Glad to hear that the Dragon is running great with two trains. Last time I was there, it had just a one train operation and was painstakingly slow. That's weird on the Old Mill. Hopefully they were just rehabbing a few scenes or effects.

I rode Ripsaw Falls a few years ago after the lap bars were installed and heard this conversation: Guy 1- "Cool! They have lap bars now. That means this goes upside down." Guy 2- "No, it doesn't go over your head so it can't go upside down." Guy 1- "What about the Simpson's Ride?" Guy 2- "Touché."

I prefer the park index since it is easier to find old trip reports when planning trips. However, I do use both so my vote is to have both.

Animal Kingdom- Expedition Everest (backwards drop) Blizzard Beach- Summit Plummet Busch Gardens Europe- Apollo's Chariot (Rhine River drop) Canada's Wonderland- Behemoth (first drop) Canobie Lake Park- Untamed (first drop) Darien Lake- Ride of Steel (third hill) DelGrosso's Amusement Park- X-Scream Disney's Hollywood Studios- Tower of Terror Dorney Park- Hydra the Revenge (first drop) Dutch Wonderland- Kingdom Coaster (first drop) Epcot- Test Track (drop after the barrier) Funtown U.S.A.- Excalibur (first drop) Great Escape- Sasquatch Hersheypark- Skyrush (first drop) Islands of Adventure- Jurassic Park River Adventure Kennywood- Jack Rabbit (double down) Kings Dominion- Intimidator 305 (first drop) Knoebels- Twister (first drop) Lake Compounce- Boulder Dash (boulder drop) Lakemont Park- Leap the Dips (final drop) Luna Park- Cyclone (first drop) Magic Kingdom- Splash Mountain (final drop) Marineland- Sky Screamer Martin's Fantasy Island- Silver Comet (sweeping drop before the final bunny hill) Playland- Dragon Coaster (first drop) Quassy- Wooden Warrior (first drop) Santa's Village- Yule Log Flume Seabreeze- Log Flume Six Flags America- Tower of Doom Six Flags Great Adventure- El Toro (first drop) Six Flags New England- Bizarro (3rd hill) Story Land- Bamboo Chutes Typhoon Lagoon- Crush 'n' Gusher Universal Studios Florida- Revenge of the Mummy (drop after first launch)

1) Boulder Dash 2) Comet (The Great Escape) 3) Yankee Cannonball

I have two crazy park weather experiences: one good and one bad. A few years ago I went to the Great Escape and it started pouring. Most of the park cleared out, but I stayed and decided to see if the Comet was still operating. It was and those were the best rides that I have ever had on the Comet. The ride was absolutely flying. Every hill gave even more air-time than usual and we didn't have to get off since the station was empty. I probably got 30 straight rides. Last summer, I went to Dorney Park for the evening. There was a chance of a thunderstorm, but when we pulled up it was clear. I hadn't been there in a long time, so I wanted to ride everything. I began with Talon and absolutely loved it! So I decided to ride again. Well the lift hill motor cut out and we got stuck at the top of the lift for like 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the clear skies turned to gray and there was lightning in the horizon. The wind really picked up as well. I give props to the Dorney employees for handling the situation well and evacuating us quickly the second that they saw the lightning.

I've seen people at the Six Flags parks just chilling in the test seats like it is any other park bench. I would have to imagine it being especially awkward for people who need to use the test seat to tell someone to get up.

For me, I have three that stand-out. 1) Hydra the Revenge- I personally love the jojo roll. I'm a sucker for hang-time and there may not be a better inversion for it anywhere else. 2) Thunderbolt (Kennywood)- The drop out of the station and into the ravine is a classic. 3) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (WDW)- I like the tunnel and the quick changes of direction.

Marineland's Sky Screamer is my favorite S&S tower because of its location, towering height, and combo mode, but in terms of raw power, the tower was the standard S&S tower, and there is nothing wrong with that in my opinion since I love their drop towers. Two towers that really do stand-out for me though are Funtown's Dragon's Descent and Canobie's StarBlaster. Dragon's Descent is slightly taller than the standard turbo drop (220 ft), but the drop just seems so much stronger. There is a greater stomach dropping sensation and the drop feels faster. StarBlaster is a powerful little double shot. The ride gives crazy ejector air at the top after both launches and catches people off guard every time.

I actually like the Chance Revolutions. The Claw at Hersheypark is one of my favorite frisbee-style flats anywhere. The only one better than it in my opinion is the absolutely insane Technical Park Street Fighters.